Getting Backed Off From All The Casinos For Counting Cards

[00:05] flies. Okay. All right.

[00:20] way east into New York looking for some high-quality Blackjack games. In my last video, we jumped ahead to a future session where a casino stole $2,000 from me, which was quite the video. If you haven't seen it already, make sure you

[00:33] check it out. The casino manager really crossed the line. The video before that saw me playing at three casinos in Michigan securing a profit of $790. today and after getting kicked out of MGM Grand in Detroit, I started the

[00:49] 1-hour trek to Hollywood Toledo in Ohio. For anyone new here, I'm an advantage Blackjack player who travels the country playing Blackjack with an edge. I use the Hi-Lo count system and if you want to learn more about it, check out my how

[01:02] description. It's called everything you need to know. The game I was targeting here at Hollywood was a stand 17 six-deck game in their high-limit room. Like I said, I had just gotten backed off at MGM

[01:15] Detroit and we know how good these casinos can communicate. Let's hope I can beat the flyer. I got in there and found my table. It was pretty dead here and I got the table all to myself. This is good because I can play much more

[01:28] quickly when solo, but it can also bring a lot more surveillance attention on me, which can make for a short session. I'm going to be spreading from the table minimum of $50 up to either one hand of 2,000 or two hands of 1,200 depending on

[01:42] if I'm playing solo or not. After half a shoe of negative counts, we got up to a true count of one, so I raised my bet to $100. Things were off to a great start as I was dealt 20 versus six, which ended up

[01:55] The count dropped back to zero for a single hand, but quickly made it back to true one. This next hand was less ideal, ending with a bust. True count was now ending with a bust. True count was now up to two, so I raised my bet to $300. I

[02:10] unfortunately, this one wasn't much better. True count was back down to one, and the 20 made a return, beating out the 20 made a return, beating out the dealer's 17. I left the $100 bet out,

[02:22] and the dealer got me on the next one. He followed it up with another win, which ran me out of chips. I bought in for another 300, because the true count for another 300, because the true count was now back to two. In came a soft 19

[02:34] versus 10. I stood, and the dealer drew to 17. That's more like it. I left the $300 out, and was dealt a soft 14 versus five. Finally, we get some action. I doubled it, and received a four for 18. Let's see that bust.

[02:50] Nice. That helps. The next hand didn't call for any complaints, either, because I was dealt a blackjack. $300 blackjack pays 450, and after this, the count dropped back to true one. 16 versus 10 is never a great sight, and

[03:05] since the count was positive, I stood. Dealer had a 10 underneath, so we were cooked. I always play using perfect basic strategy, but will often employ hands. 16 versus 10 will stand in any positive

[03:19] count, which is one of the most profitable deviations. After this, the count went negative for a few hands, but right at the end of the shoe, it jumped up to somewhere between true one and two. I threw out a hand of $200, and was

[03:32] dealt a nine versus 10. Not the worst hand in the world, but sadly, the dealer had blackjack. That was the last hand of the shoe, so that means I was back down to minimum bet. I played an entire shoe in the

[03:44] negatives, and after getting into my third shoe here, the heat was on.

[03:57] you're going to be done playing for the night, okay? Okay. So, it looks like the Michigan casinos had tipped them off because there is no way my bet increased from 50 to $300 was any kind of suspicious. This is always

[04:12] lame, but it's part of the job. All I can do is get to move on to the next spot as quickly as possible. All in all, I played for 29 minutes All in all, I played for 29 minutes here. My average hourly EV was $635,

[04:24] here. My average hourly EV was $635, and I was leaving with a profit of $560. EV stands for expected value, and the EV per hour number is a theoretical hourly rate that is calculated based off the game conditions and bet sizes. The next

[04:38] spot on my list was a casino called Jack in Cleveland, Ohio. It was a 1-hour and distance was far enough that they weren't in communication with these the boot from. I ended up finding some street parking,

[04:54] and let me tell you it was a sketchy walk to the casino. Lots of seedy folks hanging around, so if you're going here, I highly recommend opting for the parkade. The game I was looking to play here was identical to Hollywood with the

[05:06] only difference being a $100 minimum bet. Because of this, I'm going to skip over all the $100 true one bets and only show footage from counts of true two and higher. Once again, I got the table to myself, and after a while of playing

[05:20] minimum bet, the count jumped up to true two. I put out a bet of $300, ended up with a 14 versus two, and sadly the dealer drew to 19. The true count was now up further to three, so I raised my bet to $500. I was dealt 14 versus

[05:36] eight, had to hit, and got the 10. No good. True count had now jumped up to four, so I bought in to fund a hand of a thousand dollars. Out it went, and I was dealt 13 versus 4. Please bust.

[05:56] count had made another jump to five, which called for a hand of $1,200.

[06:15] death sentence for me, but sometimes we get lucky. I'll take it. The $1,200 bet stayed out, and I was dealt a 15 versus 9.

[06:30] between three and four, so I lowered my bet to $700. I was dealt 20 versus 10, and ended up pushing. My bet dropped further to $300, and I was dealt 13 versus 10, which ended up becoming a 19. Dealer's drew to

[06:45] ended up becoming a 19. Dealer's drew to 22, so we win. I raised my bet slightly >> [music] >> There was nothing to do here, because the dealer had blackjack. My bet dropped to $200, and this next hand wasn't

[06:59] looking much better. Dealer didn't have blackjack, but I ended up busting out. After this, I played one hand at minimum bet, which lost, before the count made a last-minute recovery to true four. I put out a hand of $1,000, and was

[07:13] dealt 7 versus 10. I turned it into a 17, but that was not enough to beat the dealer's 20. Dang it. That was the last hand of the shoe, so once again, I was back to minimum bet. Before too long, the count started to go

[07:26] positive again, and here we hit a true two. I raised my bet to $300, and was dealt a 15 versus 10. I turned it into an 18, but the dealer beat me by one. Out went another hand of 300, and the

[07:40] stellar cards continued. I was dealt 16 versus ace, which ended up busting out. That was the last hand above minimum bet in this shoe, except for a single hand of 200 that was successful. I got into a new one, and at this point

[07:55] I was joined by another player. That means I was switching to my two-hand spread, so when the count hit true two, I put out two hands of 200. In came a 13 and soft 19 versus 10, which quickly became a 16 and 19. Of course, the

[08:10] dealer had a 10 underneath, so these hands were history. I tried again with the same bets, getting dealt 16 and 14 versus 10. I didn't even get a chance to play these hands because the dealer had blackjack again. These were the only

[08:25] counts above a true one in this shoe. I wish I had more to show you guys, but the pit boss approached me shortly after this and told me I was no longer welcome here. What's up? What's going on tonight?

[08:39] That wasn't a very fun session. We couldn't get anything to connect here, and now we had to leave without getting a chance to make it back. No good. My total session length was 1 hour with an average hourly EV of $725.

[08:53] They smoked me on this one, and my total loss was $4,725. Only equivalent to two max bets, so not a huge loss, but I would have definitely preferred that it went the other way. No time to mourn my losses. All I could

[09:08] do is make my way to the next spot, which was Seneca Casino in Niagara which was Seneca Casino in Niagara Falls. It was a 3 and 1/2 hour drive and communication between the casinos wouldn't go that far. Only one way to

[09:22] find out. If you guys want to learn how to play using the Hi-Lo count strategy yourself, make sure you check out AP Tool Box. This is my training and resource site. It's got everything you need to learn, practice, and put the

[09:34] strategy to use inside the casino. Link is in the description and I hope to see Once I got into Seneca and found my table, I was instantly ID'd. This is not ideal because they can go and look me up in any of the databases they're

[09:49] subscribed to, see that I'm an advantage player, and put a stop to my action. However, if I don't show ID, they deny me anyways and say that it's for an age up my name. The game here was identical to Jack,

[10:04] except it was even better because they offered surrender. This helps soothe the pain of that $100 minimum bet. After playing the $100 hands for a bit, the count got up to true two. I tossed out a hand of $300 and received a seven

[10:18] versus 10. It quickly became an 18, which was enough to beat the dealer 17. The $300 bet stayed out and I was dealt blackjack. So far, so good. I was paid 450 and left the same bet out. My next hand was dealt 19 versus five. I

[10:34] stood and the dealer ended up busting. Sweet. After trying again with another $300 bet, the dealer finally got me. His 19 beat out my 18 and after this, I dropped down to $150.

[10:48] This one didn't go much better because the dealer had blackjack. I upped my bet slightly to $200 and received an eight versus two. It became a 15 and luckily, the dealer busted. The $300 bet made a return and finally, we

[11:02] got a chance for some action. I doubled my nine versus four and it became a 12. This is not looking good. We needed that bust. The true count had

[11:14] finally made a jump to three, so I raised my bet to $500. I was dealt a 20 versus 10 and for once, the dealer didn't have a 10 underneath. True count was back down to two, so I lowered my bet to $300. I was dealt 10

[11:28] lowered my bet to $300. I was dealt 10 versus four. Time for another double.

[11:40] try that again. My next hand was dealt six versus 10 and after a few hits, I turned it into a 16. I stood and thankfully the dealer busted. True count was back to three, so I threw out a hand of 500. In came a 15

[11:55] versus four. I waved it off and the dealer showed us no mercy drawing to 19. The true count made another slight jump to somewhere between three and four, so I up my bet to $700. I received a soft 13 versus ace, so it

[12:10] was time to buy insurance. I'm pretty sure this is the moment that tipped off the pit boss because taking insurance is a total card counter move, but I don't deviation. Dealer didn't have blackjack, but I was

[12:23] able to turn my 13 into a 21, which was a winner. Nice. I left the same bet out and was dealt the exact same hand except this time it was against a six. This calls for a double.

[12:44] have lost that. The true count was now four, so I raised my bet to $1,000. I was dealt 20 versus nine and this one I dropped my bet to $500 and was dealt

[12:56] another 20, this time versus five. Dealer drew to 18, so we were in good All those small cards brought the true count back to four, so the $1,000 bet was coming back out. The 12 that appeared in front of me did not spark

[13:10] joy and the feeling was amplified after the dealer turned their six into a 19. The true count made another jump to five, so I raised my bet to 1,200. After not busting on the 15, all my hopes were crushed by that damn dealer 18.

[13:26] I fired off another hand of 1,200 and this one went a bit better. was paid, I dropped my bet to $1,000. In came a 15 versus 5, I stood and the

[13:42] dealer continued the trend of not busting. The $1,200 bet was making a return. Please give me some better cards.

[13:57] sometimes. The player advantage at true five is 2 and 1/2% so each $1,200 bet I place is worth $30 of EV. That means I'll lose almost as many of them as I win and it can be a slow grind. The short-term outcomes don't really matter

[14:12] as long as you keep playing and increase the amount of bets that you put out in the positive counts. I bought in again to fund another hand of 1,200 and ended up with a soft 15 versus 8. I turned it into an 18 and stood and we

[14:26] actually got the dealer to bust on this one. After this, I raised my bet slightly to $1,300 which means we must have been borderline between true five have been borderline between true five and six.

[14:45] $100 because the count was back to true five and after getting dealt a 15 versus 9, I took the opportunity to surrender. For any of you casual players watching, of surrender if your local tables allow it. It's a great rule and helps to even

[15:01] the odds between the player and house. After I surrendered, the true count had now jumped to seven. This means I was putting out a whopping $2,000 bet. putting out a whopping $2,000 bet. Please be nice to me.

[15:22] amazingly the dealer didn't have a 10 underneath. You love to see it. I lowered my bet to a thousand and continued on. My next hand was dealt 16 versus 6, and try as I did, I couldn't get this one to pay.

[15:35] Pit boss was definitely taking notice after that $2,000 win, so I imagine they're currently running down my game. I up my bet to 1,500 seeing as the true count was 6. At least I got a surrender. The dealer had a 7 underneath, and I

[15:50] have been worse. I tried again with another hand of 1,500 and ended up with a 15 versus 7. I had to hit, and we got the bad ending. True

[16:02] count was holding strong at 6, and my next hand of 1,500 was dealt a 7 versus 10. It became a 15, I deviated and stood, but the dealer having 7 underneath sealed my fate. We were now back to true

[16:15] 7, so the $2,000 bet was making a return.

[16:27] to draw to 21 on. I was paid my 2,000 and fired off another one.

[16:40] Bro, we don't like that. Let's try again. slightly to 6, so I lowered my bet to 1,500.

[17:02] This was the last hand of the shoe, and sadly a few of those big bets didn't go as we hoped. I was getting hawked super hard here by the pit staff. I could feel the back off coming, so I decided to just leave now instead of playing the

[17:15] $100 min any longer. Not quite the outcome we wanted, but it could have been worse. We actually did win quite a few big bets here. We've seen how bad this can go in past videos. All in all, I played for 20 minutes. My

[17:28] hourly EV was $744 an hour, and unfortunately, I was leaving with a loss of $3,500. Again, not a huge amount compared to what I'm betting, but still annoying. I keep telling myself that the math will

[17:41] work itself out eventually. The next casino on my list was a spot called Del Lago in Waterloo. They had a $500 max double deck game that was definitely worth a stop. Once I got there, I found out that I couldn't add a

[17:54] hand mid-shoe, so I was going to be stuck playing two hands of $50 as a minimum bet. This is less ideal, but still playable, so away we went. I decided to play a super aggressive spread here to make up for having to

[18:08] play such a high minimum bet with a low table max. After a shoe in the negative, we finally saw the count jump to a true three or higher, so I put out two hands of 500. My first hand was dealt 16 versus eight. I hit and got a four.

[18:22] Nice. My second hand was a 14, which became a 24. Not so [music] nice. Dealer drew to 18, so we broke even on this hand. I fired off another two hands of 500 with my first hand getting dealt 20 versus dealer's nine. Of course, I

[18:38] stood, and my second hand was a 13, which became a 24. The dealer ended up busting, so again, we broke even. The count wasn't dropping at all, so the two hands of 500 weren't going anywhere. My next two hands were dealt 12, which

[18:53] ended up busting out, and 14, which suffered the same fate. The count went negative for the rest of the shoe, and for most of the shoe that followed, but right at the end, the count hit true two. I raised my bets to $200 each, and

[19:06] my first hand was dealt eight versus five. There's a deviation for for hand calling for a double at true four, and we must have been there because I decided to do so. My second hand was a 15. Let's hope for a bust.

[19:20] Our wish was granted with the dealer drawing to 25. I know it's hard to see, That was the last hand of the shoe, so we got into a new one, and before long the count hit true two again. My first hand of 200 was dealt 13 with

[19:34] the dealer showing 10. I turned it into an 18. My second hand was dealt 13 as well, and this one wasn't so lucky. The dealer flipped a 10, so we were fully cooked. The pit boss was definitely noticing my

[19:47] erratic play style at this point, so I'm going to assume the end is near. Nevertheless, the true count was up to three or higher, so I put out the two hands of 500. Hand number one was dealt a 20 versus 10, so I stood. Hand number

[20:01] two was dealt a soft 17, which quickly became a hard 17. We somehow got the dealer to bust, so both of these hands were paid. After this, the true count dropped down to zero or lower, so I was back to minimum

[20:14] bets. Sometime in the next shoe, we saw a random jump to true three or higher, so the $500 bets made a return. My first hand was dealt 14 versus 10. I hit, turning it into 17. My second hand was a 20, and after the

[20:29] dealer flipped a 10, I pushed one and lost the other. This brought the true count back into the negatives, but it seems my time here was up.

[20:44] Okay. Today I'm going to size her up for two Okay. All right. So with that, my session here came to a close. Like most of the other sessions in this video, it didn't last long. I'm

[20:58] the only one here in the middle of the night spreading like a madman. What else are they going to be looking at? In total, I played for 25 minutes with an hourly EV of $680. I must have won a few of the minimum

[21:11] bets because I was actually leaving with a profit of $225. This doesn't do much to offset the losses from the previous two sessions, but it's microscopically helpful. That's all I got for you guys today.

[21:25] Over all the sessions in today's video, I was down another $7,440, which is just great. By itself, it's not much in the big scheme of things, but I've already been losing hella lately, and this doesn't help. Regardless, all I

[21:38] can do is move on to the next spot and keep placing plus EV bets. I'm happy to say that we finally scored a massive win during the session I'll be showcasing in the next video, so make sure you guys subscribe and tune in for

[21:51] that one. Also, be sure to check out AP Tool Box if you want to learn how to Thank you everyone for watching. I'll see you all in the next video. Peace.